Article | REF: BE9519 V1

Heat exchangers - Operating problems

Author: Patrice CLÉMENT

Publication date: April 10, 2014, Review date: April 26, 2021

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1. Fouling

Fouling, which in its most general form can be defined as the deposition of undesirable materials or substances on a wall, affects a wide variety of industrial operations. In the case of heat exchangers, the presence of a strong thermal gradient near this wall makes fouling mechanisms much more complex than in the isothermal case encountered, for example, when membranes or filters are used.

This fouling, which is often unavoidable in industrial plants, produces two types of effects:

  • an increase in frictional pressure losses on the walls, followed by a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the fluid flowing through the unit, leading to partial or total clogging of the exchanger. In this case, the term "clogging" is used;

  • a deterioration in...

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Fouling